So I’m a Spider, So What Vol 2 — Part 2 of 8

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Part 2 of 8

That was fast! Didn’t I just get this skill a minute or two ago?!

How did it go up already?

I mean, I guess that’s fine. I totally knew that would happen anyway.

Wait, again?!

This is one of the skills I thought might be able to help with Detection, too!

Awesome! Doesn’t that mean my brain’s processing power’s improved?

How exactly did I get this, though?

I don’t think I was really thinking about multiple things at once…

Ah, it must’ve been my old friend Appraisal.

I always have Appraisal on.

The Appraisal results of whatever’s around me are constantly flowing into my head.

I usually just ignore it, so I barely even notice anymore, but I guess you could call that thinking about multiple things.

And I can’t think of any other explanation, so that’s gotta be it.

Still, kinda weird, right?

I’m getting an awful lot of skills at once.

You have to admit, it’s pretty unusual to suddenly start getting skills one after another, yeah?

I mean, not that I don’t know why.

Pride.

A skill that greatly increases the amount of proficiency you gain.

Yep. Gotta be it.

Still, though, it’s gone up by a pretty crazy amount…

I don’t know the specific numbers, so I can’t say for sure, but this definitely seems like a lot.

See what I mean?

Well, since I got this new skill that might help with Detection and all, I may as well give it a shot right away.

Huff… Whew. Okay.

Detection on.

GAHHH! It’s too much! Off, offfff!

Wheeze… Owww. My head hurts.

Right, right. My Parallel Thinking skill was only level 1.

Based on my experiences so far, I shouldn’t have expected much from a level-1 skill.

Nothing really feels any different this go-around.

That raised Parallel Thinking, but it raised Detection, too.

Detection leveling up doesn’t help me at all!

All that’ll do is add to the amount of information and make things even worse!

If both of them level up at the same time, it’s like taking one step forward and two steps back.

And my stupid Detection seems to have an insane growth rate that raises its level every single time I activate it, so really, it’s more like three steps back.

Plus, it’ll grow even faster now because of Pride.

Seriously, what’s up with this damn Detection skill?

What a monstrous foe. I can’t believe it’s outsmarted even me!

Who knew there was an enemy as strong as that earth dragon lurking so close by?

I don’t think I’m gonna win this one.

Anyway, maybe I should just wait for my Parallel Thinking skill to level up for now.

It certainly doesn’t seem like I can use it to partition my thoughts or anything at the moment, so the only way I can think of to earn more proficiency is by thinking about something else while looking at Appraisal results.

Apparently, activating Detection raises it, too, but I really don’t want to mess with that anymore.

Hmph. Still, I don’t think the idea itself was a bad one…

If my thinking ability improves, then I should be able to use Detection eventually…probably.

Man, when I looked at the skill list before, I thought the Parallel Thinking skill was my best bet, though…

Hmm. Let me look at the list again.

Since I have fewer points now, there aren’t as many on it as before.

But there are still quite a few.

It seems like most skills can be acquired with 100 points.

Aside from certain high-performance and totally broken skills.

Although I was able to get one broken skill, Pride, for 100 points.

Anyway, the only skills that seem like they might help with Detection are:

<Memory: Enhances memory ability>

I think that’s about it.

Not a lot of options. And I don’t think the Memory one is quite right, either.

In which case, Arithmetic Processing is the most likely candidate, but would taking that really be enough to let me use Detection?

Hmm, hmm, hmm. I mean, I thought Parallel Thinking was the best option, and that hasn’t helped much so far…

Arithmetic Processing would probably be pretty useless at a low level, too.

Oh, wait a sec.

“Arithmetic” is basically math, right?

If I do some mental math, maybe I’ll get the skill for free?

Yeah. That’s probably worth a try.

Okay, maybe I’ll think about powers of 2 for a while…

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64……

……8,192; 16,384; um…32,768 maybe?

This is getting pretty tough.

What’s next? Hmm…

Oh! Nice, nice. My plan worked perfectly.

Hmm. Should I give it a shot?

It’s probably not gonna work, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Huff… Whew. Okay.

Detection on.

GYAAAH! Still too much! Off, off!

Wheeze… Owww. My head hurts. Again.

This isn’t gonna work, huh? It’s just too much. My head feels like it’s gonna burst. I don’t like pain.

Ugh… Unreal.

Wait, what happened to my Pain Mitigation?

I’ve gone through a bunch of near-death experiences, so why is this pain too much for me to handle?

And hey, why did my Heresy Resistance skill level up anyway?

What does that mean? Is it because Mr. Detection’s assault on my head is so demonic?

There’s nothing weird about calling it an “attack,” right?

I mean, my resistance even became better.

Let me think about this.

The heresy attribute is something about attacking the soul directly, right?

So if my Heresy Resistance improved, that means the results of Detection aren’t affecting just my brain, but my soul itself.

Does that mean that half of this headache is actually my soul aching?

That’s scary!

My soul’s not gonna wear out if I keep doing this, right? I don’t wanna suddenly go brain-dead, okay?

Oh, okay. Good thing the effect of Prediction isn’t based on correct answers!

It’s fine. That was just a prediction, nothing to worry about. Let’s go with that.

Hmm. But in that case, doesn’t that mean a soul-related skill would help me withstand Detection?

I don’t see anything like that on the list, though.

All there is, is Heresy Resistance.

So I’ll just have to keep leveling up Heresy Resistance, then?

…How do I do that?

Ahh… It’s no use.

I should just stick to the original plan: Keep raising Parallel Thought and Arithmetic Processing.

After all, they both advanced when I activated Detection, which means they must be involved in the process somehow. Until then, I’m putting Detection back off-limits. I’m a little scared of using it.

Okay, so now that I sort of have a plan for Detection, what am I going to do about the heat in the Middle Stratum?

Maybe it’d help a little if I had Fire Resistance or something?

But I think my whole body might be weak to fire, not just my thread…

I didn’t see Fire Resistance when I looked at the list before.

Does that mean it’s not something I can obtain with 200 skill points?

There were other resistances on the list, but no fire.

This is just a guess, but I think maybe since I’m weak to fire, it’s harder for me to obtain Fire Resistance.

Oh, hello there again. You sure level up fast, huh? It’s probably the effect of Pride in action again.

Well anyway, since I know it won’t be easy, let’s aim to acquire Fire Resistance while training my HP Auto-Recovery skill.

To that end, I’ll go to the Middle Stratum a couple times a day, then come back when my HP goes down.

Taking damage probably means I’m gaining proficiency for Fire Resistance, or maybe Heat Resistance, if that’s a thing.

I don’t know how long it’ll take, but sooner or later, I think I’ll probably get a Fire or Heat Resistance skill.

And when my HP goes down, HP Auto-Recovery will kick in, so that’s two birds with one stone.

If my defense and recovery exceed the passive damage I take, I should be able to walk around, at least.

In the meantime, I’ll work on my other skills.

Parallel Thinking and Arithmetic Processing for the Detection plan, for starters.

I may try to improve my stat-increasing skills while I’m at it, too.

In particular, Skanda, Herculean Strength, and Sturdy all improve the growth rate of my stats, so I should give them top priority.

But… I know running around should increase my Skanda skill, and doing push-ups or leg-ups or whatever should increase Herculean Strength, but what about Sturdy?

Since it’s for defense, does that mean I have to get hit with attacks?

Hmm. Maybe if I do some Thread Control practice and use it to whip my own body or something?

I hate pain, but I guess it might be worth a try…

Also, if I’m going to be staying here for a while, I should probably secure some food.

My stamina isn’t decreasing right now thanks to Overeating, but sooner or later, I’ll have to eat.

Probably a good idea to look around a little and make some preparations for hunting.

It may even be worth setting up a few webs for capturing prey.

I can lay some traps with thread that’s as close to invisible as I can manage.

Yeah, there’s an idea. Let’s go with that.

Even if a strong monster capable of breaking through my thread gets caught by mistake, I won’t be there, so no harm done.

All right, then, let’s put this plan in action.

My HP’s recovered, so I guess I’ll go back to the Middle Stratum and work on reducing my HP again.

…Man, when I put it that way, it sure doesn’t sound fun.

So… Hello from the Middle Stratum!

It’s hot, folks! I’d tell you how hot, but it’s impossible to measure! Mostly because I don’t have a thermometer!

Today’s forecast predicts magma spewing around all day!

It’ll be much too hot for even this intrepid weather reporter to venture outside!

This has been a live on-site report from the Middle Stratum! Back to you in the studio!

Whew. It’s reeeally hot.

Neither of my skills has gone up yet, either. Guess I might as well take my time.

I mean, it’s not like I’m being chased or anything.

ACADEMY

There’s something called an academy in this country.

In our old world, the expectation is that everyone goes to school, but in this world, getting a formal education is fairly unusual. The only people able to afford it are aristocrats and other members of the privileged class, particularly wealthy commoners or people otherwise blessed with a great deal of natural talent.

Because I’m a member of the royal family, I can attend school without a problem.

Sue is in the same boat, of course, as well as Katia, who clears the conditions by being the daughter of a duke.

And so the three of us were sent off to academy together.

Just like school in our old world, there are general studies taught here.

At the same time, though, there are classes that teach us how to fight.

If anything, the latter is the main focus.

This continent, Daztrudia, is human territory, but the other continents are still embroiled in violent battles against demons and monsters.

There are monsters here on Daztrudia, as well—to the point where there’s always a need for more capable fighters.

So we spend a lot of our time at school learning about combat.

Sue, Katia, and I are at the academy entrance ceremony.

Fei is considered my pet (or rather my familiar), so I can’t bring her along.

Apparently, I can bring her to class, but she isn’t allowed to participate in events like these.

Looking around, I see other incoming students my age, sitting in chairs and waiting for the ceremony to begin.

This is the largest academy in the region, so a lot of kids come here from other countries, too.

As I size up the other students, most of them either hurriedly look away or stare directly at me.

I can feel eyes on me, too, and hear the whispered rumors.

“That’s the prince of this country sitting over there.”

“I heard he’s some kind of genius, but he doesn’t look that strong to me…”

“I wonder if we can get close to him somehow?”

Because of my Auditory Enhancement skill, I can hear every word they’re saying.

Now I’m feeling really uncomfortable.

“Gooood morning!”

A nonchalant voice breaks through the strained atmosphere.

Turning to look, I saw the elf Filimøs, formerly known as Ms. Oka.

“Good morning. It’s strange to see you as a student now.”

“I’m very excited to experience youth all over again, you knooow!”

With that, she sits down beside me.

Sue, who is seated on my other side, regards Ms. Oka with an expression that borders on a scowl.

In fact, she’s definitely scowling at Ms. Oka.

Oh, right. This is Sue’s first time meeting my former teacher.

“Come on, Sue, don’t glare at people. Sorry, ma’am. This is my sister, Sue.”

“Oh-ho! I see, I seeee. Verrry cute.”

Ms. Oka scrutinizes Sue with a smile that elicits a bad feeling in my gut.

She’s definitely not thinking anything decent.

“Brother, who is this suspicious-looking person?”

Understandably, Sue is trying to shield herself behind me a little.

“Shun, dear, you haven’t done anything strange to your poor sister, have you?”

Teacher, please don’t ask me that with such a serious expression.

Of course I haven’t done anything.

“Sue, this is Filimøs, an elf who’ll be joining us at school. Shun and I have met her before, you see. Though she looks like a child, it’s only because elves age quite slowly—she’s actually the same age we are. She’s also worked in many different places, so if anything, she knows more of the world than any of us.”

Katia steps in to explain things to Sue for me.

I’m not good at laying things out so clearly, so Katia’s support is a big help.

“Nice to meet youuu!”

“…You too.”

Sue still looks rather guarded, but she reluctantly exchanges greetings with Ms. Oka.

“Katia, does my brother prefer childish women like this?”

“Oh, it’s not like that at all, don’t worry. Despite her looks, Ms. Filimøs is quite dependable, so Shun simply views her with respect.”

You know I can hear you whispering, right?

I’m absolutely not a lolicon, thank you very much.

I’ll have to thank Katia for backing me up later—and have a few words with Sue.

Apparently, Ms. Oka overheard this conversation, as well. I muster a wry smile despite my sulky mood, and she returns it in kind.

The entrance ceremony ends without any issues.

Afterward, most of the students return to the dormitories or set out to explore the campus.

The academy is a boarding school.

I’m no exception to this rule, so I’ll be living in a dorm while I’m attending.

Unless there are special circumstances, students can’t leave school grounds except during long holidays.

“What shall we do next?” Katia poses the question in socialite mode.

We’ve already gotten our dorm rooms set up.

I’d like to see the academy grounds if possible, but I have a feeling Fei would scold me later if I left her alone for that long, so I should go back to the dormitory first.

“There’re a few people I’d like to meeeet. Would you all come with meee?”

Just as I’m about to head back to my dorm, my former teacher calls out to us.

“Someone you’d like to meet?”

“Oh, yesss. The future saint and the future sword-king. It wouldn’t hurt for you to get to know them as well, you knooow!”

The saint and the sword-king.

The saint is a symbolic figure from our neighboring kingdom, the Holy Kingdom of Alleius.

Often called the hero’s counterpart, the woman designated as the saint in each generation is obliged to work alongside the hero.

The saint is selected based purely on ability, not pedigree.

And since the Holy Kingdom of Alleius is the main seat of the religion called the Word of God, all the followers of that religion gather there.

In other words, the saint is chosen from an elite group of female followers of the Word of God.

The current saint, of course, accompanies my older brother Julius.

Her name is Yaana, I believe. A master of Light and Recovery Magic, she’s the only woman in my brother’s party.

I’ve only met her a handful of times, but I remember thinking she was pretty tomboyish for a saint.

So this person at the academy would be Yaana’s successor, then.

The sword-king is the title of the ruler of the Renxandt Empire, the country with the highest human population on the continent of Kasanagara.

The Renxandt Empire is adjacent to demon territory, so it’s endlessly under siege.

To lead that country, the most important requirement is strength.

As a result, it’s said that subsequent generations of rulers have taken the alias of the first king, the “sword-king,” as their title.

While the saint is chosen from a pool of talented candidates regardless of their lineage, the sword-king is based purely on bloodline.

Which means the current sword-king’s son is enrolled at this academy.

“Ah yes, the crown price of the Renxandt Empire. I’ve certainly heard the rumors. I believe he’s a first-year at the academy this year, just like us. He’s said to be a sword master to rival the memory of the original sword-king, or such is the claim.”

Katia, how do you know about this?

This is the first I’m hearing about it.

“Shun, you should try paying attention to the world around you a little more, too.”

Katia raises her eyebrows at me. My expression must’ve betrayed my thoughts.

Damn. She’s got me there, I guess.

“But… If you’re going out of your way to meet them, ma’am, does that mean…?”

“It sure doooes.”

“Well then, I suppose we simply must meet them.”

Katia and Filimøs continue the conversation on their own.

Sue and I don’t follow their meaning, so we simply look on in silence.

“Come along, then, Shun… Wait. Why the long face?”

“Oh, I just wasn’t sure what you were talking about…”

“Really? Sue I can understand, but you…”

Katia and our teacher both look at me pityingly.

C-come on, do you really have to make that face at me?

“I mean, I know she said it’d be good to meet them sooner rather than later, so I figured I’d go, but…”

“Shun, you’re something else.”

Katia presses a hand to her forehead as if fending off a headache.

“Do you really trust Ms. Oka that much?”

“Huh?”

I stare at Katia blankly, not understanding her pointed whisper.

Seeing this, Katia heaves a deep sigh.

“Ah, looks like we don’t have to go and find them after aaaall!”

I look up and follow the teacher’s gaze to see a boy and a girl approaching us.

The boy has dark brown hair that’s nearly black and eyes of the same color, with tough, masculine features.

The girl has wavy blonde hair and blue eyes with an air of mysterious beauty.

“Yo. So that puny elf is Ms. Oka?”

“Don’t be rude, Natsume. That’s no way to talk to a teacher! It’s good to see you, ma’am.”

Both of them are speaking Japanese.

With that, I finally realize what Katia and our teacher were getting at.

These two are reincarnations, like us.

“Good to see you, toooo! Natsume, Hasebe, I’m so very glad you’re wellll.”

Our teacher’s words reveal the pair’s original identities.

The boy’s name used to be Kengo Natsume, the de facto leader of the boys in our class.

Honestly, though, I never really liked Natsume much.

He was really athletic, with good reflexes, and while he never actually did anything violent, he had a tendency to show off his strength and use it to get people to do what he wanted. On top of being pushy, he came off sounding like he looked down on others.

Most kids in our class either followed his lead or did their best to avoid him.

I was always the latter.

“Ha-ha! Ms. Oka was always tiny, but now she shrank even more! That’s hilarious!”

“Natsume!”

The girl scolding Natsume was formerly Yuika Hasebe, who used to sit next to me.

Unlike Natsume, Hasebe never made much of an impression as being particularly good or bad.

Among the girls, the clique that stood out most was the one that included Fei, aka Mirei Shinohara. But Hasebe was closer with the relatively quiet girls, like Temarikawa and Furuta.

Of course, that’s just compared with Fei—she was still a pretty bright and active person herself—but Hasebe certainly never struck me as the type who secretly held the potential to be a saint or anything like that.

“I’m an elf, so I can’t help being small, you knooow. Besides, you’re not so much taller than me yourself now, Natsumeee.”

“I’m gonna have a huge growth spurt soon, just you wait. Anyway, this guy’s the prince of this country, right? Who’s in there?”

Natsume looks my way like a predator sizing up its prey.

His eyes glitter as if he might attack me at any moment.

I do remember this guy being pretty nasty in our former life, but did his eyes always seem this dangerous?

“Shunsuke Yamada.”

“And I’m Kanata Ooshima. Long time no see.”

After I answer, Katia steps forward deliberately to introduce herself.

“Huh? Ooshima?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Ooshima. Big surprise, right? Guess I got reborn as a woman.”

Hasebe stares at Katia in shock.

From there, the conversation picks up, and Natsume looks away from me.

Thanks, Katia.

Natsume’s name may be Hugo Baint Renxandt now, but just like in our previous lives, I want as little to do with him as possible.

THE DUKE’S DAUGHTER AND HER TEACHER

“Ma’am, why exactly are you going to school in the first place?”

“Why, to enjoy my youth all over again, of course!”

“I’m serious, you know.”

“I’m joooking. I suppose you could say I’m trying to watch over those of you reincarnations whose social status is too high for me to take you into my care, you knooow.”

“I knew it.”

“Ooooh? You’d alllready guessed?”

“To an extent anyway, since so many of us reincarnations are in one place. I don’t know how you managed it, but I’m guessing you elves must’ve done some negotiating to gather all the reincarnations at this academy.”

“That’s true as far as Natsume goes, but Hasebe being here is sheer coincidence, honessst.”

“So you don’t entirely deny it.”

“That’s because I know I can’t fool you, clever Miss Katiaaa.”

“Well then, since I’m so clever, maybe you’ll let me ask you a question. Are the last six of us still alive?”

“…We know for certain that four have died. I’ve located the other two, but I have no way of going to them directly at the moment.”

“I see. I had a feeling…”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no reason for you to apologize, ma’am. Do you mind if I ask…the names of the ones who died?”

“Of course… Kouta Hayashi, Hiiro Wakaba, Naofumi Kogure, and Issei Sakurazaki.”

“…I see. Well, that does explain why you have the time to attend school like this. You don’t need to search for the others anymore.”

“That’s right, although I am still taking action to protect the other two, you knooow.”

“So who have they become that’s created a situation where you can’t get to them?”

“That’s a seeecret.”

“Ma’am, I’m being serious here.”

“I am, too. It seriously has to be a seeecret.”

“Does it have anything to do with why we can’t meet the others that you have been able to look after?”

“Hmm. That’s a different matter, sooo it’s not really related, nooo.”

“I see. Are they doing well, at least?”

“They’re fiiine.”

“And what are their names?”

“I caaan’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Well, you might find out eventually, but I don’t think now is the right time.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’m sorry. But it’s how it has to be. And on that note, I have a warning for you.”

“What is it?”

“Please don’t train your skills too much.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t say.”

“Ma’am, I can only imagine what you’ve seen in the outside world, but you know Shun’s older brother is a hero, right? I’ve heard all about his work as a hero from Shun. How he protected a village from a horde of monsters all by himself and fended off a demon even after it made him drink poison. That sort of thing.”

“Whaaat about it?”

“This world is extremely dangerous. We may not be heroes, but Shun and I still have roles to play. It’s very possible we may have to stand on the battlefield ourselves someday. Since I’m a woman, those odds are still relatively low… But even if Shun’s royalty, he’s not the heir to the throne. It’s more than likely. So by telling us not to train our skills, aren’t you basically asking us to be killed in the future?”

“Of course not!”

“Right. And I know you wouldn’t say a thing like that, ma’am. But without any reason or explanation, I can’t just agree, either.”

“I…suppose not.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so harsh.”

“No, it’s all right. I’m the one who’s keeping so many secrets.”

“And I’m guessing you can’t tell me why you have all these secrets, either?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Does it have something to do with the elves?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s pretty strange. Why would elves help protect us reincarnations? It seems like you’ve explained the situation to them, but can they really be trusted? They’re not forcing you to comply with some weird conditions or anything, are they?”

“Not at aaaall. You’ll just have to trust me on that, okaaay?”

“Even with all the secrets you’re keeping?”

“I’m afraid sooo.”

“I can’t just trust people based on gut instinct like Shun can. I want to trust you, of course, but as long as you’re keeping all these secrets, I can’t quite manage it.”

“I don’t think you’re wrong about thaaat. If anything, Shun is too trusting, you knooow?”

“Yeah, I agree. Sometimes I think he’d be lost without me, honestly.”

“Oh-ho-hooo? Perhaps not a bud yet, but is that a seed I smellll? What an interesting development that would beee.”

“Huh? What’re you talking about? Ma’am, please don’t smile so creepily. Since you look like a little girl now, it’s really disturbing.”

“Divine punishment tiiime!”

“Huh? Ow!”

MIDDLE STRATUM PLAY-THROUGH, START!

I’m here in the Middle Stratum! Yay!

Today I’m gonna start exploring it! Yay!

I haven’t perfected my long-range attack or my anti-heat measures yet, but here I go anyway! Yay!

Ugh… No way can I do this unless I hype myself up about it somehow.

It’s been several days since I first discovered the Middle Stratum.

In the meantime, I’ve been training my skills, and I’ve gotten pretty strong.

This is what my status looks like now.

<Small poison taratect LV 5 Nameless

Status: HP: 57/83 (green) MP: 181/181 (blue)

SP: 51/82 (yellow) 2UP : 82/82 (red) 2UP

Average Offensive Ability: 92 Average Defensive Ability: 92

Average Magical Ability: 135 Average Resistance Ability: 168

Average Speed Ability: 830 1UP

Skills:

[HP Auto-Recovery LV 5] [MP Recovery Speed LV 3] [MP Lessened Consumption LV 2] [SP Recovery Speed LV 2]

[SP Lessened Consumption LV 3 1UP] [Destruction Enhancement LV 1] [Cutting Enhancement LV 1] [Poison Enhancement LV 1]

[Mental Warfare LV 1] [Energy Conferment LV 2] [Deadly Poison Attack LV 3] [Poison Synthesis LV 7]

[Threadsmanship LV 3] [Spider Thread LV 9] [Cutting Thread LV 6] [Thread Control LV 8]

[Throw LV 6] [Hit LV 7] [Evasion LV 3] [Spatial Maneuvering LV 3]

[Stealth LV 7] [Concentration LV 9] [Prediction LV 8] [Parallel Thinking LV 4]

[Arithmetic Processing LV 6] [Appraisal LV 8] [Detection LV 6] [Heretic Magic LV 3]

[Shadow Magic LV 2] [Poison Magic LV 2] [Abyss Magic LV 10] [Destruction Resistance LV 1]

[Impact Resistance LV 2] [Cutting Resistance LV 3] [Fire Resistance LV 1] [Dark Resistance LV 1]

[Deadly Poison Resistance LV 2] [Paralysis Resistance LV 3] [Petrification Resistance LV 3] [Acid Resistance LV 4]

[Rot Resistance LV 3] [Faint Resistance LV 2] [Fear Resistance LV 7 1UP] [Heresy Resistance LV 3]

[Pain Nullification] [Pain Mitigation LV 7] [Vision Enhancement LV 8] [Night Vision LV 10]

[Vision Expansion LV 2] [Auditory Enhancement LV 8] [Olfactory Enhancement LV 7] [Taste Enhancement LV 4]

[Tactile Enhancement LV 6] [Life LV 7] [Magic Mass LV 8] [Instantaneous LV 8 1UP]

[Persistent LV 8 1UP] [Herculean Strength LV 3] [Sturdy LV 3] [Protection LV 3]

[Skanda LV 3] [Pride] [Overeating LV 7] [Hades]

[Taboo LV 4] [n% I = W]

Skill Points: 180

Man, I really have gotten pretty strong.

I’ve got quite a few new skills, too.

Since my beloved Appraisal has started displaying a list of skills I haven’t acquired yet, I’ve been setting my sights on anything that seems decent, then doing things related to that skill to earn proficiency and acquire it naturally.

So now my repertoire has increased considerably, including some additions I’ve had my eye on for a long time.

Though this is all probably thanks to the huge effect of Pride.

I collected all the MP- and SP-related skills.

Namely, Recovery Speed and Lessened Consumption.

Recovery Speed, of course, quickens natural recovery, and Lessened Consumption reduces the amount used.

SP Lessened Consumption seems to work on both red and yellow stamina, too.

Specifically, my red total stamina has gotten harder to reduce, and my yellow stamina decreases less when I’m running.

I also randomly got a new skill called Spatial Maneuvering.

I think because I built a home near the ceiling, I got the skill climbing up and down the wall.

As a result, I can jump around and stuff now.

I don’t need that, though. I was already able to do those things…

I guess I’ll explain the rest of the skills as they come.

Anyway, the little UP markers seem to indicate skills that have changed since the last time I looked at my Appraisal results.

This time, SP Lessened Consumption, Fear Resistance, Instantaneous, and Persistent all improved.

Instantaneous and Persistent are the SP version of Strength and that type of skill, with the former working on yellow SP and the latter on red SP.

Looks like my speed and SP stats rose, too.

In the past few days, I’ve figured out that, like skills, stats can actually increase outside of leveling up if I focus on training them.

This discovery came to me when I was running around to increase my Skanda skill and saw that my speed stat had also gotten better.

Why didn’t my stats make any progress before when I was being chased around by monsters and stuff? I probably didn’t run enough, or my growth rate has increased because of Pride.

It’s too hard to tell which is responsible, but one thing I can say for sure is that Pride is definitely working.

Since I constantly have Appraisal active, the display of an UP symbol must mean that the skill or stat in question increased very recently.

The UP display automatically disappears a little while after I’ve seen it, which means the skills and stats that rose this time must be due to whatever decisive action I just took.

Heh-heh-heh. It’s pretty amazing how much my skills and stats grew in one go, right?

Well, yeah.

That’s ’cause I was running at top speed. For my life.

<Earth dragon Kagna LV 26

Status: HP: 4,198/4,198 (green) MP: 3,339/3,654 (blue)

SP: 2,798/2,798 (yellow) : 2,995/3,112 (red)

Status Appraisal Failed

It’s a dragon.

Compared with the one I saw before, earth dragon Araba, this one comes off as a bit short and stout. And apparently, it’s more powerful to match.

Its wings are different from Araba’s.

The guy totally appeared out of nowhere.

Just as I was getting ready to go hunting like usual, my home was suddenly blown away behind me.

The aftershock alone was enough to send me tumbling, and then I caught sight of the earth dragon on the edge of my vision.

After that, I ran away at top speed, fleeing into the Middle Stratum, which is the real reason I’m here now.

Ha-ha-ha. Yeah, I desperately ran for my life, all right.

But at least that desperation was enough to raise my skills and stats!

Anyway, damn, what is it with dragons and destroying my spiderwebs on sight?

That’s so scary.

Was the Lower Stratum actually an earth dragon den all along and I just never noticed?

That’s even scarier.

No, no, no. There’s no way there can be that many of those awful things just hanging around.

Now I’m remembering the glimpse I got of the beast’s status Appraisal.

It was all four-digit numbers. That’s just ridiculous. There’s no way I can beat that.

On top of that, even after it used a powerful attack that destroyed my entire home, its MP and SP were barely even diminished.

In other words, it could attack like that endlessly if it wanted to.

I can’t deal with that. What a horrifying monster. Earth dragons are scary.

Still, though, that one was different from the earth dragon Araba that I saw before.

While this one’s level was lower, I wasn’t able to Appraise Araba, so I don’t know which is stronger.

But regardless, it’s not like I’d stand a chance against either of them, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

I wonder if there’s some kind of connection between them, since they’re both called earth dragons?

Maybe they started out as the same species and evolved apart or something?

Ooh, that could be it.

Dragons are like the definition of a superior race, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they had a wide variety of evolutionary options.

Otherwise, maybe each earth dragon is its own unique species? That could be it, too.

Like, there are only a few because of how elite they are, but each individual is hyper-strong? That kind of thing.

I mean, “hyper-strong” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

If that’s the case, then it’s likely my odds of running into more are pretty low, at least…

No, wait a second.

That would mean that I’ve now been attacked twice by creatures I should have an extremely low chance of ever meeting.

Does that mean I just have ridiculously bad luck?

Th…th-th-th-that can’t be it, r-r-r-right…?

I’ve had plenty of near-death encounters before, but I always survive in the end, so that means I’m lucky, probably.

Hold on a second. Wouldn’t someone lucky avoid flirting with death so many times in the first place?

Hmm?

…Forget it. I shouldn’t think about this anymore.

Really, I escaped by the skin of my fangs that time. It’s a good thing I’d already been about to leave.

I haven’t quite shaken this streak of bad luck yet.

Yeah, let’s go with that.

Please, someone tell me I’m right.

Hey, nobody asked you!!

What’s with the too-perfect timing?!

Were you waiting for your chance to jump on me like that?!

You think you’re some kind of comedian, do you, Divine Voice (temp.)?!

Whew. Okay, I got a little worked up over nothing there.

Yeah. I’m just gonna ignore the absurdly ominous beginning and start slowly working my way through the Middle Stratum.

I definitely want to put as much distance between me and that earth dragon as possible.

Anyway, let’s check in on the current situation.

I’m surrounded on either side by boiling hot magma. The ratio of land to magma is more or less the same.

Still, I kinda just charged ahead in a panic. I wonder if I’m going the right way?

Well, I have no way of knowing, so I may as well just carry on like this.

So thanks to the aftershock from the earth dragon’s attack and the fact that I kept running far past my limits, my HP’s been reduced a bit.

Not by very much, but because the heat around here’s constantly causing enough damage to cancel out my HP recovery, I don’t think I can expect to rebound anytime soon.

I was able to acquire Fire Resistance by traveling back and forth between the Middle and Lower Stratum, at least, but it’s still only level 1.

As of now, with Fire Resistance at level 1 and HP Auto-Recovery at level 5, I can break even with the heat’s drain on my HP.

Which is great, but it also means that if I incur any additional injuries, it’ll be hard to patch myself up.

My only options are either making a full recovery by leveling up or raising one of these skill levels so my healing outpaces the rate of damage I receive from environmental hazards.

But since the magma is so close by now, there’s also the dreaded possibility that the heat damage may get a leg up, instead.

I’d like to avoid such hot places if possible, but what can I do?

Judging by the stratums I’ve visited so far, it’s probably best to assume the Middle Stratum is also pretty massive.

This is the biggest labyrinth in the world, after all.

It connects two continents and everything, so it could easily take days to traverse the Middle Stratum.

I’ve got a long ways ahead of me, but I was forced to start this journey in quite a rush. Not a good sign.

Oh well, guess I better keep going.

Whew. Sure is hot, though.

Ever since I was reborn as a spider, I’ve lived in a pretty comfortable temperature. It was never too hot or too cold, y’know?

Having the environment suddenly change on me like this is a huge downer.

It’s not so bad that I can’t bear it, since I practiced coming here to get the Fire Resistance skill and all, but still…

I can barely even stand the thought that the entire Middle Stratum is probably gonna be like this. Ugh.

Especially for my poor feet.

I mean, magma’s flowing right there!

Of course the ground’s blazing hot.

Asphalt heated by the summer sun doesn’t even compare.

Forget frying an egg on the ground. In this place, it’d burn right up.

And I’m walking barefoot out here!

It’s so hot, it’s actually quite painful.

I wouldn’t be able to do this without Pain Mitigation and HP Auto-Recovery.

Oh, hey, a monster.

<Elroe gunerush LV 5

Status: HP: 159/159 (green) MP: 145/148 (blue)

SP: 145/145 (yellow) : 116/145 (red)

Average Offensive Ability: 83 Average Defensive Ability: 81

Average Magical Ability: 79 Average Resistance Ability: 77

Average Speed Ability: 88

Status Appraisal Failed

Heh-heh-heh. Now that Appraisal’s leveled up more, I can even see the enemy’s attack power and stuff!

Ahhh, this rules!

Although, the success rate still isn’t very high…

That’s the same kind of monster I saw when I first arrived in the Middle Stratum.

The sea-horse-looking thing.

Just like the one I spotted on the first day, my quarry is swimming in magma. Unreal.

It doesn’t seem to have noticed me yet, so I’m kinda tempted to just ignore it, but I have to pass right by it.

What should I do? Hmm…

Oh. While I was busy worrying about it, I guess it noticed me.

Like last time, a fireball launches from the magma.

Yaaah! I dodged it.

Hmph. That isn’t fast enough to hit me.

There was a time when I couldn’t even dodge those frogs’ spit attacks, but I’m way stronger now—my speed’s gotten much higher, and I have the Evasion skill and everything.

Now I have godlike agility that would be the envy of any game character!

Even if a single hit would reduce me to cinders with my paper-thin defense, that doesn’t matter if I never get hit!

Still, though…

Neither of us has the upper hand at this rate.

I mean, those fireballs aren’t gonna hit me.

But since I can’t use my threads here, I have no way of attacking him.

It’s a stalemate.

Oh, wait. The other guy’s about to run out of MP. Those fireballs apparently use a lot of it.

So once its MP is exhausted, it won’t be able to shoot any more fireballs.

Appraisal really is like cheating. I mean, I know all my opponent’s info while we’re fighting.

All right, avoided the last fireball. With that, he’s out of MP.

The sea horse’s next move will change the course of this battle, but how?

Oh, it crawled out of the magma.

And it’s charging me.

What an idiot. If I ran out of MP, I’d be making a strategic retreat right away.

From my point of view, the rush is suuuper slow, so I slip by it easily.

Then I attach myself to the sea horse’s back, piercing it with a poisoned claw.

Now that I mention it, this thing’s body is crazy hot! My HP’s even gone down a little! My precious HP!

Well at any rate, the deadly poison killed the sea horse in no time flat.

Phew. I managed to win my first match.

Fireballs streak past me, tracing arcs through the air.

Two at once. But even then, dodging them is simple.

Glancing ahead, I see two sea horses.

Apparently, this place is just crawling with them.

They don’t flock together—they just wander around individually doing as they please. Still, once in a while, they happen to end up close to one another and attack me simultaneously.

Well, as long as they’re not gonna swarm me like those monkeys, it’s no problem.

I evade another pair of flying fireballs.

They don’t cooperate very well, probably because they’re normally pretty solitary. It’s like they’re launching fireballs at random.

If they weren’t, this might actually be a hard fight.

All I have to do is avoid getting hit, but on the flipside, if I do get tagged…

I’m vulnerable to fire, so if one of those attacks lands, I doubt I’ll get off with minor scrapes and bruises.

On top of that, shuffling around the missiles is simple on its own, but I’m doing it in the middle of a magma field.

If I accidentally fall in, I’m sure my body wouldn’t even catch fire. It’d just melt.

So even as I avoid the fireballs, I have to keep a close eye on the ground beneath my feet.

It feels like I’m down to my last heart in a bullet hell game.

Except this is my real life on the line.

It really sucks that I don’t have a way to fight back right now.

As soon as I produce thread, it just burns up and disappears, especially now that I’m so close to the magma.

So while they can attack me as much as they like, all I can do is dodge. Like a fish in a barrel.

But that’s just until they run out of MP.

Once that happens, the sea horses climb ashore.

That’s right. They opt to abandon their advantageous position and put themselves on my level voluntarily.

What gentlemen. What idiots. What meatheads.

Even now, the first sea horse has run out of MP and is ambling toward me.

I quickly pack a claw with poison and finish it off.

It helps that I gained the new skills Destruction Enhancement and Cutting Enhancement in my earlier quest for knowledge.

Destruction Enhancement, as the name implies, increases my destructive power. The meaning is a bit vague, but I’m assuming it’s a skill that generally increases my attack power.

Cutting Enhancement is the same sort of thing, just limited to slashing attacks.

The second sea horse crawls out of the magma with perfect timing, so I finish it off the same way.

Ooh! I leveled up!

I’m extra-grateful for this, since my HP has gotten a bit low. After I finish molting, my HP is fully recovered.

I can beat those sea horses pretty easily, but if I make contact with their bodies, I take damage.

It’s not a big deal with one or two, but after I fight a bunch of them, it starts adding up dangerously.

Since leveling up is my only way of healing right now, I’d rather not incur any other injuries, no matter how small.

By the way, they cool down after a little while, so I wait for that to happen before eating them.

It’d be great if my Fire Resistance or HP Auto-Recovery advanced with that last level-up, but of course, the world’s not so kind.

Fire Resistance is still level 1, and HP Auto-Recovery hasn’t improved, either.

Well, it’s no surprise that Fire Resistance isn’t making any progress. It seems like my species is naturally vulnerable to fire, so there’s no chance I overcome that in a single day.

And HP Auto-Recovery is such a handy skill, it naturally takes a long time to grow.

I mean, automatic recovery is an ability you wouldn’t normally have until near the end of a game anyway.

I’m lucky I was able to get it without spending any skill points. It’s probably too much to ask for it to level up quickly, too.

I have to remember that just having it at all is a godsend.

In fact, without HP Auto-Recovery, I couldn’t have even considered a trip through the Middle Stratum.

I mean, how could I?

Entering an area where you constantly take damage without an auto-recovery skill would be a suicide mission.

I’m not interested in committing suicide, so without HP Auto-Recovery, I’d probably still be puttering around in the Lower Stratum looking for another shaft to climb up.

In the Lower Stratum with those dragons? No waaay. I’d be dead in no time.

I’m actually making fairly smooth progress in clearing the Middle Stratum.

I’ve run into a few other kinds of monsters besides those sea horses, but none of them were a big deal.

If I wasn’t at a disadvantage in this terrain, I could beat all of them easily.

However, the handicap I have here is pretty inconvenient.

First of all, the magma. What a pain.

If I’m facing a monster that’s immersed in the magma, all I can do is throw rocks.

Since I have the Throw skill and all, I thought I’d try imitating those monkeys, but it doesn’t do much damage at all.

Ultimately, unless the enemy comes ashore, I basically can’t do a thing.

It’d be fine if every monster acted like the sea horses and made landfall as soon as they ran out of MP, but some simply stay in the magma or run away.

The worst are the ones that start out on land but duck into the magma when I have them where I want them.

And not being able to use my silk is rather stressful.

This is right after I got the Threadsmanship skill, too, which increases the power of any thread-related moves…

I can at least pick up rocks and toss them with my silk, but if it’s out for too long, it catches fire even on relatively safe ground.

The real problem’s the thread that I often produce unconsciously.

Whenever I move, I automatically spin silk, but in the Middle Stratum, it ignites.

The lit thread acts like a fuse, until even my backside starts getting hot.

It definitely freaked me out the first time. There was literally a fire lit under my butt.

My HP went down quite a few points from that, and using Poison Synthesis to put it out lowered my HP even more.

I mean, that was the only thing I could think of to put out a fire.

In the end, my only choice is to keep severing the thread as I produce it.

I have to do something, or it’ll turn into a real pain in the ass. Literally.

Bedding is a problem, too.

If I try to build a web here, it’ll undoubtedly go up in flames and take me with it.

So I decide to make do and sleep in the shadows of some rocks.

Not that I can really sleep anyway.

Not in this hellscape, where I’m always passively taking damage and have to stay on the alert for monsters.

I may be bold, but even I have my limits.

Even so, I still have to sleep.

I’m not sleeping very often, as you might imagine, but I’ve been trying to rest whenever I find an appropriate hiding place.

But even though this area is worse than the Lower Stratum in a lot of ways, the one silver lining is that the monsters are much weaker.

In terms of threat, they’re not far removed from those found in the Upper Stratum.

There are probably some relatively strong monsters here, like the snakes that live in the regions above, but so far, all the creatures I’ve encountered have been no big deal.

The largest difference between the threats here and in the Upper Stratum is the way they use their environment.

That’s what makes these normally weak monsters dangerous.

Since I don’t have much in the way of recovery options, just getting grazed by an attack could put me in serious trouble.

Besides, they’ve all been rather manageable so far because they’re so puny, but it’s still possible that there could be some Lower Stratum–class big game here, too.

The terrain alone is a challenge for me, so if that sort of opponent appears…

Well, I just have to hope there aren’t any.

Man, if only I could use magic, it’d turn this whole thing around.

But to use magic, I have to quell Detection, which might be an even more formidable enemy than this god-awful terrain.

In any event, I’m not likely to solve either problem anytime soon.

Aaargh, I really wanna use magic!

THE NIGHTMARE’S VESTIGE

A few days after entering the Great Elroe Labyrinth, we finally arrive at the spot where an adventurer reported seeing an anomalous taratect.

From here, we enlist Goyef’s help searching the surrounding area to find and destroy our target.

“Please be careful. Because the passages in this area are so wide, large monsters like earth dragons sometimes turn up.”

Earth dragons, is it? Dragons are generally strong.

Low-ranking wyrm species usually aren’t much more dangerous than other monsters of the same level, but the higher-ranking the species, the greater the danger becomes.

They may even be a match for my stats, despite my hero status—or even outrank me.

“It’s too quiet around here.”

I nod in response to Jeskan’s remark.

It’s good that we’re starting our hunt, but we haven’t encountered a single monster since we got here.

And this is the Great Elroe Labyrinth, renowned for being teeming with them.

Something strange is definitely going on.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp prickling sensation on my skin.

I draw my sword immediately.

Hyrince raises his shield, and Yaana concentrates so she can use her magic at a moment’s notice.

Jeskan and Hawkin look around warily.

I can see cold sweat streaming down Goyef’s face.

“The hero’s here.”

Then a voice echoes in my mind.

It doesn’t make a sound, reaching me like a thought.

I whirl around.

There, I find myself face-to-face with a giant spider monster.

“G-greater taratect…”

Goyef speaks in almost a whimper.

A greater taratect can be just as strong as an upper-class wyrm.

And there are three.

But my gaze goes right past the three giant monsters, captivated by the sight of a small form.

A little white creature, lurking behind the greater taratects, as if in hiding.

“Th-there it is! That’s our target! The Nightmare’s Vestige! This is the monster said to have been left behind by the Nightmare of the Labyrinth!”

The Nightmare of the Labyrinth. A monster that appeared some ten-odd years ago.

It had been indescribably strong, hence its title.

A spider that crushed humans like insects.

And the first monster that taught me the pain of defeat.

Part 2 of 8

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